How to protect ourselves from the sun in the mountains?
Protecting ourselves from the sun is essential when hiking or any other outdoor activity and where there is the possibility of suffering sunburn. We are going to show the different options that exist when it comes to taking care of our skin.
Where you're going?
Firstly, we must think about where we are going to go since practicing our favorite activity in a wooded area is not the same. In this case we will not need our complete arsenal of sun protection than doing it above the vegetation zone of a mountain or in a desert , where we are going to have to go very well prepared .
Sun protection creams.
It is the first thing that comes to mind when we have to protect ourselves from the sun. It's easy, apply all over the body and that's it, but this has a series of disadvantages .
The sun cream needs to be reapplied since whether we sweat or spend a lot of time outdoors we will need to reapply the cream for the protection to be effective .
Carrying a lot of sunscreen will add weight to our equipment .
If we are going to use a lot it will be expensive .
Sunscreens are full of chemicals. Fortunately, there are already natural sunscreens on the market, although they are more expensive, they are the ones we recommend .
The latter use physical blockers in the form of minerals to protect us from the sun.
Another drawback of sun protection creams is that friction with clothing can reduce the effectiveness of the cream, causing burns on our skin.
Sun protection equipment clothing.
This is the most effective method to protect ourselves from the sun .
Firstly, covering our head, the ideal is a wide-brimmed hat , if we use a cap we leave the area of the neck and side of the face unprotected.
The hat must have a UPF 50+ index and a drawstring so that it does not blow away in the wind.
If you think that the wide-brimmed hat is too short for you , there are also caps with an accessory to cover the neck and sides of the face .
Long sleeve shirt or t-shirt and long pants .
They are essential since this way we avoid covering both arms and legs with sunscreen. These garments must have a protection factor of UPF 40+ or higher. These garments are very light and highly breathable .
In addition to sun protection, wearing long-sleeved clothing also protects us against insects .
And we must not forget about the hands , on the market there are very light gloves that breathe very well and also give us UPF 50+ protection.
And of course sunglasses.
Another interesting accessory is special parasols or umbrellas with a high protection factor. The shade provided can lower the temperature significantly in addition to sweating less . It also provides us with shade when we stop to rest or have a snack.
And this is all so that we do not suffer burns on our skin, let us think that as we ascend the mountain the strength of the sun is greater .